Taking Flight
by Vincent the Sheep
Summary: A frail auburn meets a yellow-furred hothead, beginning an bond that becomes pivotal for the rest of their lives. Takes focus on the final years of Jake Clawson and Chance Furlong from the day they meet to their expulsion from the Enforcers, for even the greatest pilots of Megakat city had to start somewhere.
1. Chapter 1

It seemed as good a time as any to find a job.

The chairs in the employment office waiting room creaked, as each occupant sat uncomfortably. On the opposite end of the room, a clock ticked monotonously, mixing with the sound of rustling newspapers and tapping keyboards.

Jake Clawson did his best to maintain a proper stature, only daring to tap his fingers with one hand, the other writing neatly on his sheet of paper. First impressions were everything, and the young kat didn't want to risk leaving a bad one onto his potential superiors should an officer pass him by.

Five minutes passed before Jake looked over his application form. Nothing stood out, nothing that would hinder his chances, at least. Satisfied, Jake stood up and walked his way to the front desk.

The receptionist barely lifted his eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, uh…" Jake let himself breathe. "I'm handing in an application for the Enforcers Recruitment Program?"

The receptionist had the decency to hide his surprise. "Uh huh? Let me see that…" His bored eyes scanned the paper. "Mm-hmm, yeah…Alright, kid, I can put you in the lists in a second…Just wait there..."

Jake nodded, watching the employee make his way to the back.

 _Kid, he called me a kid!_ Jake shook his head. _Well of course he did, I don't exactly look like an adult, do I?_

An awkward minute passed before the man returned. "Ok Mr…Clawson. Your application has been processed, we got you the last slot. You will be expected here at 0700 hours-tomorrow morning for pick-up. Do not be late."

 _Of course._ Jake nodded. "Yes, thank you, sir!"

This time, the receptionist didn't bother to hide a slight sneer. "Sure thing, kid. Next, please."

Jake wasted no time leaving the building. His apartment would only be a fifteen minute walk from Enforcer Headquarters, nothing strenuous. However, his mind was more concerned on what little time he had.

 _0700…That gives me thirteen hours to finish my packing, have dinner…_ Jake processed. _And hopefully enough time to sleep…_

Jake unlocked the door to his flat and stepped inside. Cramped, dirty and having the occasional insect infestation, the flat was by no means a luxurious place. That being said, Jake was grateful for the price that came with it; living unemployed was no easy task, even with the pocket money Jake had tirelessly saved over the past years.

His bedroom was the smallest, but best maintained room in the flat. To call it tidy would be optimistic, but the lack of clutter made it habitable enough. A brown leather suitcase, likely the most expensive thing Jake owned, sat on top of his bed.

Jake opened it up and re-examined the contents. _Uniform, check. Toothbrush, check. Books, check…Where did I leave that Handbook?_

The feline almost had a panic attack until he found it under the bed. The Enforcer Law and Reform Handbook, not best-selling material and certainly nothing exciting-but it was Jake's best chance to get an edge over his fellow cadets.

 _Not that it's a contest of brains…more of a brutal struggle of strength and endurance, from what I've heard._ Jake sat down on the edge of his bed, book still in hand, flicking through the pages. _Still, a bit of last-minute revision couldn't hurt, I guess._

Half an hour later, Jake felt a bit more confident. _If I don't have physical strength or fitness going for me, at least I have general knowledge on my side!_

Jake put the Handbook back in his suitcase. _Not that it'll matter to the drill sergeants yelling at me…Do they even read the handbook?_

It wouldn't matter, not if Jake's fitness was an even bigger issue. _Kats alive, I've signed up for the freaking ENFORCERS, what did I expect? Knowledge won't cut it if I can't even do five press ups…What the hell was I thinking?_

With nothing to lose, Jake began the most basic exercise he could think of, star-jumps. It wouldn't make a difference to his fitness, but it put Jake at ease knowing he had at least tried to make an effort. _Gotta start somewhere I suppose…Yeah, like it'll be this easy at Training…_

Only five minutes later, Jake stopped, heart pumping furiously. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. _Kats, I really am unfit..._

After taking a cold shoulder, Jake cooked himself a simple microwave dinner and sat down on the couch to eat. He had no TV, only the dull decoration of his apartment to fix his eyes on.

It had only been a week since Jake had moved in, but he was already glad to leave-even if it meant leaving to face the Enforcer Boot Camp.

 _Better to be trampled to death than bored to death._ Jake resolved, his situation looked a lot brighter when he saw it in that light. It was certainly a better alternative than running back home, not that Jake cared to think about it, some problems were best left behind-even if the future didn't look great either.

Jake made himself smile, finishing his bowl of cheap pasta. _Who knows? I might actually get in, if miracles are real, that is._

He changed clothes and settled in his bed, falling asleep to the thought that he'd never feel so comfortable again.

The alarm went off at 5:45am the following morning. Jake didn't consider himself a morning person, but dutifully got himself up and into his morning routine.

He took another cold shower, more thorough than yesterday. Jake knew the time would come when he'd have to take one at the camp eventually, but until then, he did his best to prolong that necessity.

After a meager slice of buttered toast with milk for breakfast, Jake finally got himself changed into his uniform. Enforcer code required recruits to wear dull cargo pants, a dark vest and black combat boots-all of which felt unusual to Jake, and didn't suit his lanky stature.

He checked the time on his watch. _6:30, I better get going._ Jake grabbed his suitcase and gave his former-home one last look, before shutting the front door and locking it for the last time.

Jake ran the fifteen minute walk to the Recruitment office, not letting himself stop for a break. When he finally entered the office building, Jake found the closest chair to collapse on, doing his best to suppress his heavy panting. _Kats alive…_

He barely had time to recover before a well-dressed employee arrived, calling loudly. "Alright, recruits applying for the Enforcer Training Camp, please follow me out to the front of the building. We don't have much time people, move it!"

Jake stood up, noticing the three other kats that stood up with him. Each wore the regulation uniform as expected, with their own forms of luggage at their side. He gave them a once over; all of them were toms, of course, but what surprised Jake was that they were all around his height, too.

What didn't surprise Jake, was that they all looked older, and much stronger, than he did. He didn't even need to check out their muscular frames, or any scars they had on their face-Jake saw the look in their eyes, and how confidently they walked out of the building. They were cocky, but for a good reason.

The young tom followed behind the crowd, as they made their way outside the building. There was a bus stop not far away, and as Jake predicted, it was for them.

There was little room to sit, as it sparked a race between the three other toms to find a seat. Jake did his best not to roll his eyes, there was no room left, but Jake could settle with standing.

The local Officer, who went by the surname "Tabb" did a final roll call on the four of them. It seemed pointless, but it was still a formality they had to obey.

Alphabetically, "Clawson!" was called first.

"Present." Jake answered, ignoring the looks of the other kats. He could tell what they were thinking already.

 _One of these kats is not like the others…_ Jake brooded. _Skinny kat like me, I'm gonna hear that a lot, won't I?_

The rest of the names followed. "Garand! Morrows! Steele!" Everyone was present, but Jake didn't bother learning which name belonged to which kat, they were all the same to him, and he was all the same to them.

It was 7:10 exactly when a dull green bus came into view on the horizon.

 _Here goes nothing, I guess…_

* * *

 _Come on, come on, hurry up!_

The bus had made its fifth stop to pick up recruits, and already it was enough to make Chance bored out of his mind. He sat alone, looking out of his window, waiting for the bus to start itself up again.

Four new recruits, along with their officer, climbed into the bus, and made their way down the aisle to find a seat. Out of boredom, Chance had made it a game to figure out which recruits would make it past Enforcer Training, and who wouldn't.

It didn't take long for Chance to find the "runt" of the litter-The auburn-furred tom that chose to sit near the front, clearly the youngest of the lot, had a thin frame-lacking muscles and confidence in stature. If what Chance had been told about Boot Camp was true, that kat was in for a hard time.

 _I'd give him a week, a month tops._

The bus started moving again. Chance fixed his eyes out the window once more, waiting for the Training Camp to finally show itself. It would be his time to shine soon enough, only a few miles left to go.

"Excuse me, mind if I sit here?"

Chance turned from the window, his train of thought had been cut off by a dark brown kat, topped with unusually blonde hair. He was one of the four that had stepped on.

 _There's a lot of empty seats, you know._ Chance shrugged. "Sure, it's a free city, isn't it?"

The kat ignored his tone, and held out a hand. "Name's Steele."

Chance reluctantly shook it. "Chance."

"Looking to be an Enforcer too, eh?"

 _What else would I be doing?_ "Same as everyone else on this bus…"

"Yeah, haha. What branch are you thinking?"

That was an easy answer. "Air Force, you?"

"Haven't decided yet, actually…Whatever fits my _abilities_ , I suppose..."

Chance didn't like Steele's tone. He was trying to be elegant, but instead came off as more arrogant-it didn't sound like anyone wanting to be an Enforcer-not for the right reason, at least.

"Fair enough." Chance resorted back to looking out the window, hoping it would give Steele a big enough hint to leave him be.

It didn't. "Looking forward to training?"

 _You don't quit, do you?_ Another shrug. "It is what it is." Chance had prepared himself well enough since he was a kitten, but even he knew to expect certain difficulties.

He just prayed they wouldn't have to swim.

"I heard it's really intense…Every day for three months, you wake up at 5am, eat nothing but gruel and do nothing but exercise." Steele chuckled. "Wouldn't be surprised if only half of these people survived the first month!"

Chance _really_ didn't like his tone now. He turned to face Steele. "So what about you?" Chance almost let out a sneer. "You think you can make it any more than half of us here?" _And here I thought only upper-state kats like me were supposed to be arrogant._

"Well…no, it's just…I know people and…" Steele faltered, adjusting his neck collar. "Never mind, I was making a point. Didn't mean anything by it…"

 _Sure…_ Chance held back from rolling his eyes. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

"Yeah, guess so…"

Chance leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. He didn't like Steele's attitude, but if what he said was true, they would have their work cut out for him.

The bus stopped again, but this time it wasn't for picking up recruits.

"Alright, cadets!" An Officer from the front shouted, loud enough to reach the back. "We get off here, we're running behind as it is, move it people!"

Once every kat was off the bus, the Officers led the rest of the way on foot. A ten minute walk saw them outside the gates of the camp.

After a couple of clearance checks, the group was let inside. Chance widened his eyes at the sight of it all. The facility had everything he could imagine a stereotypical "Boot Camp" to have; from the vast range of obstacle courses right down to the ten foot tall walls topped with barbed wire.

 _Almost looks like a prison, actually. Hell, for some kats, it might be just that…_

They stopped walking when they reached the courtyard, as another officer ordered them to stand attention.

A well-dressed official stepped in front to greet him. By his clothes, Chance already knew that it was not just any officer that faced them.

"Cadets of the 109th trainee division!" His volume commanded the entire courtyard. "My name is Ulysses Feral, but you lot will call me _Captain_ Feral! Is that clear?"

Before anyone could answer, Feral cut them off. "Good." The Captain slowly began pacing in front of the recruits. "It is my task to lead and train the bunch of you into fit, capable Enforcers, worthy to defend Megakat city, be it by air, land or sea. Therefore I demand your undivided obedience and attention!"

 _Sounds like fun…_

The Captain continued. "To ensure the best cadets get through, however, you will be expected to meet our rules, expectations and most notably, our tests. We believe in a fair, but firm system, and it goes as follows…"

Captain Feral brought out a sheet of paper, a list, from his back pocket. Chance groaned internally. _Kats alive, how long is this gonna take?_

Feral began reading. "Disobedience of our Rules and Regulations will earn you _a strike._ If any of you fail to follow orders, either from myself or any commanding officer, you will earn a _strike_ automatically."

At this point, recruits began looking at each other, their nerves were evident. Chance could see Steele in the corner of his eye, working up a sweat.

The list still went on. "Should any recruit be unable to complete any of our training courses within a given time, they will earn a strike."

"And finally, in the event a cadet reaches their third strike, they will be terminated from the program. No exceptions!" Those last words left everyone in a tense silence.

Feral still had the final word. "Official Gateway training will start tomorrow, and will finish after three months. If any of you manage to make it that far, you will be permitted into our fine Academy. Do not disappoint us." With that, Captain Feral turned, and left the recruits, muttering to each other in a panicked atmosphere.

"Wait, did he really mean that?"

"I didn't think it'd be _that_ hard!"

"Well, so much for being an Enforcer…"

Within it all, Chance let out a grin. The Captain had made the stakes clear, and now there was a challenge that set the bar remarkably high. A system that would make or break any kat that faced it.

There was no way Chance could let himself back down from that.

 _Bring it on, Feral._

* * *

 _I'm screwed…_

Jake faced the ground, doing his best to keep a calm composure. _Dammit, this was my only option left, too…_

"Alright, alright, listen up. Over here!" Officer Tabb's tone was softer than Feral's in comparison, but it was enough to silence the unsettled crowd.

Tabb cleared his throat. "For the rest of today, we will be running you through the orientation of the Camp, so you know where everything is, etcetera etcetera…After that, we process each of you through the Medical Bay, get your vitals checked out. Standard protocol, I assure you..."

Jake forced himself to look up. _Well, I'm here now…Just gotta follow the rules. I can be good at that, at least…_

The tour of the facility became as tedious as it was time-consuming. Jake did his best to focus on Tabb's explanations of each building, hoping to forget the harsh reality of Feral's words.

When they passed the collection of obstacle courses, Jake's stomach caved in.

From one end to another, each course stood with the usual monkey bars, tire jumps, ropes, tunnels-all one would expect of a boot camp.

"This is the most exciting part of our facility, of course." Tabb explained. "The courses here are made to test the physical aspects that you will need to become an Enforcer. We will be frequently testing you with these courses; starting with that one on the far left tomorrow morning. Number 1, I believe…"

The course Tabb pointed out had the appropriate **#1** sign on it, as the cadets were allowed a closer look.

"Of course, this is our most basic test course of the group. Wouldn't want to get you guys killed on the first week, would we?" Tabb made a half smirk.

 _That's not gonna stop me…_

"That being said," Tabb continued. "This is by no means a playground. You will each be individually timed tomorrow, and as you've heard before, failure is not your best option."

"If I may, sir…" One kat behind him asked. "How much time will we have?"

"For the first course? _Five minutes_."

 _Five minutes?!_ Jake gave the course another look. _Looks like I'm getting my first strike tomorrow. Great…_

"Heh, no problem…" It was the same kat, muttering to himself.

Jake couldn't help but look behind to see who it was. _Confident, are we?_

A yellow-furred tom stood two lines behind him, folding his arms and an assertive smirk on his face. His build was broad, muscled into a strong, dominating appearance-strong enough to allow a level of confidence.

 _I take that back. His frame, his eyes, I know that look…He knows what he's doing. This course would be nothing to him. Kitten's-play._

Jake made himself face forward again, swallowing his envy. _No point in comparing myself, not when I'm so far behind everyone else…_

What followed next was the obligatory trip to the Medical Bay. Each Kat was required to have their heights and weights taken, along with fingerprints and even blood samples. Jake never liked the needles, no-one did, but he made sure not to show it in front of the nurses, or worse, his peers.

His mind was on other things anyway, mainly obstacle courses.

After the check-up, Jake was sent off-given the rest of the day off for free time. So long as they stayed in the area, they were free to use the facilities to rest, train or study, as Tabb explained.

 _Well, that's not so bad, at least. Half a day before I get my ass kicked is always a bonus…_

Jake took himself to the dormitory, hoping to claim a bed of his choosing. For once, the last name "Clawson" had its advantages, it allowed Jake to be processed first, allowing him to leave early, before anyone else.

The inside of the dormitory looked as dull as its exterior, but it wasn't the slum Jake had been used to living in. Neatly made beds stood in two rows along the corridor, with a locker accompanying each piece.

 _And I get first pick? Talk about a silver lining…_

Jake hauled his luggage to the very back of the room, distancing himself from the front door. After organizing his belongings into his now-personal locker, he threw himself on the bed.

 _Meh, It's not my old bed, but it'll do._

Jake sat up and, with nothing better to do, took out a book from his collection to read.

 _I know, I need to exercise…_ Jake turned his head to see more cadets enter the dorm. _Then again, is it really worth embarrassing myself?_

That question didn't need answering.

Lying down, Jake opened the book and began mindlessly turning the pages. Noir-crime never failed to thrill Jake on a regular occasion, but without the security of privacy, Jake couldn't feel comfortable letting his guard down.

Instead, he resorted to focusing on his peripheral vision. So far, none of the other kats had chosen to sleep near the back, but Jake knew that wouldn't last.

 _At least they don't want trouble, not today, at least._

Jake could still feel the tension in his shoulders, as his eyes went back to reading.

 _How long will that last, though?_

* * *

The nurse struggled to hold Chance down as the needle pressed into his wrist.

"Argh!" The yellow tom suppressed a panicked growl. _Get it out, get it out!_

"Nearly there, one more second, and…done." The needle withdrew, as the nurse gave Chance a plaster for the wound.

Chance sighed, both in relief and embarrassment. "Is that it?"

The she-kat gave a small smile. "That's it, everything's done."

 _Best thing I've heard all day…._ Chance stood up, grabbing his suitcase. "Hey, uh. Would you mind if you, you know…didn't anyone about this?"

The nurse laughed. "Oh trust me, you're far from the worst I've had to deal with." She gave a sly smirk. "If you saw the Captain get _his_ blood samples…"

 _Wouldn't that be a sight?_ Chance returned a grin. "Heh, thanks."

"No problem. Comes with the job, you know."

With that, Chance left the Medical Bay in a better mood than he could have hoped for.

 _Kats alive, that was a waste of time! Why the hell did we need a blood sample, anyway?_ Chance felt over his aching wrist. _Guess I can pass on press-ups today…_

Exercise was the last thing on Chance's mind, anyway. _Gotta get a bed before they all get taken, unless I wanna sleep on the floor…_

Fortunately, the dormitory had beds to spare, but only at the back of the room. It wasn't hard to figure out why. Those that slept closer to the front had a better chance of getting up earlier, giving them a lower chance to be told off. _And it gets them closer to the mess hall. The early kat gets the milk, so they say…_

Chance walked down the center aisle, carrying his duffel bag. _I guess it doesn't matter where I sleep, the siren's gonna be loud enough to wake me up anyway._

The back of the room saw an array of beds, all empty except for the one at the back left row. Chance remembered him instantly; it was the auburn-furred tom-kat from earlier, there was no mistaking it.

 _Didn't expect to see you here…Guess you're not a fan of getting up early either, huh?_

In a split-second decision, Chance threw his bag onto the bed, right next to the auburn kat. The smaller tom stopped reading his book, turning his face to observe his new roommate.

Chance ignored the gaze and unpacked his belongings, hanging up his clothes and storing his collection of comic books and instruction manuals in the locker.

With nothing left to sort out, Chance laid down in his new bed. Nothing made him miss home more.

 _Urgh, I can feel the strings pressing into my back…Are we really supposed to sleep in these?_

Despite the discomfort, Chance remained lying down, hoping it would somehow adjust him to the new mattress. It wouldn't do any good to complain about it, he'd just have to adapt.

Out of boredom, Chance turned to face the younger tom, he was still watching him from earlier.

 _Ah, what the hell._ "Is there a problem?" Chance asked, keeping his tone docile.

The auburn kat snapped out of his gaze, looking away tentatively. "Uh, no. Sorry about that…"

 _Quite the spine you got there…_ Chance looked away. _He's not an asshole at least. But why did he come here?_

Sitting up, Chance decided to keep the ball rolling. "Good book?"

The auburn blinked, sitting himself up. "Um, yeah. It's not bad, I guess…"

"What's it about?"

"Uh, murder, I guess?"

 _You're killing me here._ "Sounds exciting…" Chance gave the kat another look, and with nothing to lose, held out a hand. "The name's Chance, Chance Furlong…"

There was a pause from the other kat, before he nervously reached out to shake Chance's hand. "Jake Clawson. Uh, nice to meet you…"

Chance leaned himself back. "So let me guess, you were forced to come here, huh?"

"Well, I-…"

A siren sounded and a voice that belonged to none other than the Captain spoke up. His tone was unmistakable.

" _Listen up you lot! You are expected in the mess hall in five minutes, presence is mandatory, unless you starve, that is!"_

"Oh great, I wonder what _luxuries_ await us for dinner…"Chance stood up. "We should head there now, before the queue fills up with kats..."

The kat named Jake blinked again. "…We?"

"Sure, why not?" Chance smirked. "Unless you wanna read that _thrilling_ book of yours instead…"

"Ah, no. You've got a point…" Jake made a small smile. "Wouldn't want to annoy our dear Captain, now would we?"

It was the first time that day Chance allowed himself to laugh.

 _Who is this kat?_

* * *

The only exciting thing about dinner for Jake was listening to his new friend complain about it.

"Porridge?!" The bigger tom exclaimed. "Is this really the best the mighty Enforcers could come up with?"

Jake shrugged. "What did you expect? It's not exactly a hotel around here…"

"I know that! But it's just so…bland!" Chance put down his spoon. "No sugar or sweeteners, nothing. Just liquid concrete…"

It didn't take to Jake's liking either, but he persevered though his bowl anyway, washing each scrap down with a can of milk. _Better warm than cold…_

Chance widened his eyes as he watched Jake finish his last spoonful. "I'll never know how you ate it all so quickly…"

 _A fast metabolism does wonders…_ Jake shrugged. "I was hungry. Besides, I'll need the energy for tomorrow..." _Like that'll make a difference…_

Chance huffed. "I'll take my chances, so long as we don't have this crud for breakfast tomorrow…"

 _I wouldn't hold my breath._ Jake noticed Chance's bowl had barely been touched. "Hey, you gonna eat that?"

The one second of pure awe on Chance's face was almost priceless, before he pushed his bowl across the table. "Knock yourself out."

The evening wore quickly after dinner, as camp regulation ensured the cadets a tight curfew.

" _You all have one hour before lights out. Need I remind that you are all expected awake and alert no later than 6am. No exceptions!"_

Jake couldn't take his mind off of the tom that had chosen to sleep in the bed next to him. The yellow-furred muscle-bound kat had a personality to him, a flare that set him aside from everyone else.

 _Chance…that was his name, right? Yeah, that's it! Didn't think he'd want to be friends with a kat like me…maybe he felt sorry for me, or something…_

It was something he'd have to figure out tomorrow, if he could survive it. It had only been Orientation day and already Jake felt ready to throw himself into his new bed.

 _That's not a good sign…_

Changing into his boxers and slipping into bed at record time, Jake took one last glance of his surroundings. The young kat knew better than to gaze at the other kats for too long-as tempting as it was.

 _I guess it had to happen at some point, sharing a room with over twenty toms...Kats, that'll take some getting used to…_

Jake had no choice but to put it in the back of his mind, knowing full and well the consequences of being caught.

 _No-one needs to know. No-one is gonna know, not this time…They'd all kill me if they knew…_

Jake heard his friend collapse beside him, muttering some semblance of a 'good night'. Thinking about the yellow-furred kat added to the increasing list of Jake's insecurities. _No no no, stop thinking about it! It's not right…_

The auburn tom kept his eyes firmly shut, taking in a nervous breath as he tried to drift away into sleep. It only made him feel worse.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

 **There you have it, folks, the first chapter of my first Swat Kats fanfiction! Probably one of the longest chapters I've written, too, s forgive me for any errors. I can always fix them if they are too much of a problem.**

 **If you liked the look of this, or have any questions about the story, please leave a review or PM, and i'll get back to you. This will, of course be a continuation, and one I really look forward to writing more for.**

 **Cheers,  
-V**


	2. Chapter 2

**Before you start reading, I'd like to apologize to the readers who had to wait for nearly a year for this story to update. I don't have a valid excuse for this, just that I was uninspired, and lazy. I hope this chapter can make up for some of that, and I will try to ensure that the next one won't come so slowly.**

 **Thank you for your patience, and thanks for being a SWAT KATS fan. We need more people like you in this cruel world.  
-V**

* * *

The first thing that greeted Jake's first day at Boot Camp was the wake-up call of a blaring siren.

" _Alright you lot, get up and get moving!"_ The mechanical voice of the Captain spouted. _"From here on, you are expected in the cafeteria for breakfast at 0610 every morning. There will be a roll call, to which tardiness is not tolerated. I won't say this again!"_

The young auburn leaped out of his bed and reached for his uniform. He looked over to the only kat sleeping next to him. Chance, amazingly enough, hadn't even stirred.

Jake finished dressing himself up before calling quietly to his friend. "Hey, you awake?"

No response.

 _Deep sleeper, huh?_

Jake tried again, raising his voice. "Hey, Chance?"

This time, the tom opened his eyes slowly. "Yeah yeah, I heard you…I'll get up in a second..."

 _If the Captain's as strict as he looks, he'll strike us for being a second late._

Jake hesitated to answer back, until he saw most of the other kats were already leaving for breakfast. "If we're not there in ten minutes, we'll be-"

"Ok, fine, fine…I'm getting up, give me a second!" Chance sat himself up, facing Jake. "Kats alive, who the hell has breakfast this early?"

Jake made a shrug as he changed his clothes. "Us, apparently. Gives us more time to exercise and...Exercise even more, I guess…"

Chance huffed. "Yeah, that sounds about right." The yellow-furred tom begrudgingly got out of bed, and began changing into a cleaner vest.

Jake looked away on reflex. "I-I guess I'll meet you there then…Want me to grab you a bowl?"

"Yeah sure, as long as we don't have fricking porridge again…"

 _I doubt we have the luxury of choice…_

"I'll put in a word to the chef." Jake retorted.

"Ha, you better!"

With that, Jake left the dormitory, trying to clean the grin that had formed on his face.

 _What a guy. I guess we are friends after all..._

Jake's chest lifted at the thought, before he snapped the sensible half of his mind into reality.

 _Get over yourself, it doesn't have to mean anything! Keep it cool, Jake. Keep. It. Cool._

The cafeteria tent was as messy as it had been yesterday, but it had room to spare at least. From a distance Jake could see the food in store; bread and butter.

 _It's a step-up from porridge, at least._

Grabbing two plates and bread, Jake settled himself in the same seat he sat for dinner the night before. He checked his watch.

 _Two minutes until the roll-C'mon Chance..._

Fortunately, the tom in question arrived promptly afterwards, sitting down opposite Jake once again. He grinned at the plate in front of him. "Finally, something I can eat!"

 _Crud, took you long enough!_

They simultaneously took a bite. Jake's taste buds abandoned him.

 _Stale bread, hard butter. I'm not surprised._

"Great." Chance muttered. "Shoulda known the bread would be crud too…Gah, and we'll be eating like this for three whole months?"

 _Not if we get booted out early._ "Heh, maybe you will…Me on the other hand…"

Chance raised his eyes in realization, and then looked down at his food. "Oh, I didn't mean…"

"Yeah, I know. I know." Jake cracked a fake smile. "But hey, the sooner I get booted, the sooner I can sleep in again, right?"

Chance didn't look convinced, but he nodded. "Yeah, that's something, at least…"

 _Great, now I've killed the mood, haven't I?_ Jake finished off his bread, not wanting to make things worse by talking again.

That was when the Captain barged into the building. A military trumpet called for his presence.

"Alright you miserable lot!" Feral looked as fearsome as he had the day before. "We'll be calling your names off, one by one, so pay attention. Any truants will be punished, no exceptions!"

Silence fell upon the room as each cadet was called off alphabetically. No-one was absent, amazingly enough, but it was delusion to think it'd last for three months.

 _We're gonna mess up sooner or later, me especially…_

Captain Feral rolled up the list of names in his usual grumble. "No-one absent, good! With that out of the way, we'll commence your training immediately! Clean up your plates and get going! Outside in five minutes, no expectations!"

Chance rolled his eyes as they stood up. "Gee, he must be fun at a party…" The tom made a face. "'You lot!' this, 'No exceptions!' that! Strike strike strike!"

 _Not big on totalitarian superiority, I see?_ Jake let out a small chuckle at the impression. "I can't believe you're mocking the head of this camp! If he hears you…"

"If he hears me, so what?" Chance flicked a grin. "It'll only get me one strike, and seeing the look on his face would be totally worth it, right?"

 _This guy…_ "If you say so…I'll just get _my_ strikes on the obstacle courses, thank you very much."

Chance's smirk softened. "Hey, they might _look_ hard, but you'll get the hang of it in no time, I'm sure of it!"

 _They probably don't look hard to you. You really think I'll get the hang of it in three months? You're crazy!_

Jake gave a half-hearted shrug. "I guess, maybe…"

"It'll be fine! C'mon, we don't wanna be late…"

 _No need to remind me…_

"Sure…"

They left the tent promptly, just in time to hear the Captain give his orders.

"Your first day of _real_ training begins, so let's not waste any time!" The Captain paced in front of the crowd of recruits. "As Enforcers, our training is not to be taken lightly, understood?"

"Yes sir!" The crowd chorused in metronomic time. Jake straightened his posture, trying not to stick out.

"You must also understand that with this training, only a select few have what it takes to make it to the end. Last year we had a sixty percent pass-rate, but looking at you bunch, I'm not so optimistic."

 _He's looking at you, don't look back. Eyes straight, Clawson._

Thankfully, Feral's glance passed over him. "Listen to me, follow my orders, and _maybe_ , we can make you into something. Work hard, and _maybe_ you'll be worth something more than just dirt! Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good. Now I want you all to drop and give me twenty!"

 _Here we go…_

* * *

Chance dropped to the ground, pressing himself up repeatedly as the Captain had ordered. The warm-ups shouldn't be too hard, they never were, but the tom didn't want to under-estimate Enforcer training just yet.

 _How far are they gonna push us, I wonder?_

He heard Jake mutter "Kat's alive" beside him, the auburn's heavy breathing further emphasizing his lack of fitness.

 _What was I thinking, telling him it'd all be fine? I lied to his face, didn't I?_

After the twentieth push-up, Chance stood himself to attention. He noticed that only a few kats had finished alongside him. A solid minute passed until only Jake remained on the ground, still pressing up.

Unfortunately, it was enough to catch Feral's attention, as the Captain walked up in front of the auburn. "You! What's your name, boy?"

Through the anguishing effort, Jake managed a response. "Jake Clawson, sir…"

"Do you see anyone else still doing press-ups, Clawson?"

Jake's gaze remained fixed on the ground. "No, sir."

Chance bit his tongue.

 _Crud, why didn't you get up early? Nobody would've noticed…_

A tense second passed before Feral spoke. "Get up. You're wasting my time, and that of your fellow peers, might I add!"

 _Kats, what an ass._

Jake stood up without saying a word, the relief was evident in his posture, but his face showed a different expression-complete embarrassment.

Feral continued. "Without the advantage of physical strength, how else are you expected to survive as an Enforcer? How can you hold a military-grade rifle and fire it if you can't even do a _simple_ twenty press-ups?"

"I don't know, sir."

"My point is that you can't, no-one can! Work on that strength, Clawson. I won't warn you again..."

"Yes, sir."

Without another word, Feral turned to shout at the rest of the recruits. "However, strength is but only one vital part of being a capable Enforcer!" The Captain pointed across the courtyard. "I want laps from here to that flagpole until I say so. Move it!"

All of the cadets complied, some taking off into a sprint, others jogging steadily behind. Chance made sure to keep his pace conservative, saving his energy for the price of looking less impressive.

 _It's not a race, just endurance. Don't show off, don't waste stamina, just like you practiced…_

It was when Chance reached the flagpole to turn around that he noticed the streak of auburn fur following right beside him.

Chance turned his head. "Hey, how're you holding up?"

"…Fine, just fine..." Jake's breathing was heavy, each word clearly wore him out even further. The young tom was already fatigued, but he kept his speed consistent, not letting himself fall behind a second time.

 _Hang in there, kid. You're doing fine…_

They both managed four and a half laps before a megaphone boomed. "Alright, you bunch! Over here! Ten forth!"

A collective sigh of relief from a solid half of the recruits followed. Jake clutched his sides, but kept himself standing. Chance felt a bead of sweat gather on his forehead, but didn't bother to wipe it off.

Feral crossed his arms. "This is only the first day, and look at you! I'd like to say I'm surprised…but I'd be lying." The Captain turned, leading the cadets forward once more. "Fortunately I don't give up so easily! I want to see improvement by the end of this week, no exceptions!"

 _God, he really is a broken record…_

Feral marched the group in front of the first obstacle course. "Alright you lot, this is the time we test your metal, you capabilities throughout all basic aspects of Enforcer training!

As Officer Tabb had explained the day before, it was the basic course in the camp, but that didn't say very much, considering the Enforcer's standards. It began with a ten meter sprint to a set of monkey bars, suspended over a pit of mud, presumably very deep, followed by a set of tires, a rope net, a roped swing and finally another lengthier sprint to the end.

 _Easy enough, even with that time limit._

Feral stopped marching. "You, Clawson, was it?"

Jake snapped to attention, but had less energy than before. "Yes…sir?"

"You're going up first."

The auburn's eyes widened. "W-what…?"

"You heard me! Step on the line and run the course, that's an order!"

Jake's eyes moved to the ground. "I need…a minute…"

"What did you just say?"

"…Nothing, sir."

Chance couldn't restrain himself anymore, so he took a step forward. "Sir, if I may?"

Feral's head turned, his eyes narrowed with contempt. "You may not. I did not grant you permission to speak, did I?"

"No but-"

"Then I didn't hear anything!" Feral snapped back. "I don't like interruptions, cadet. I will only say this once."

 _The nerve of…._ Chance curled up a paw, ready to spit a less polite retort to the Captain. He turned to check on Jake, but the young tom was no longer standing next to him.

Jake stood himself on the starting line, as Feral had ordered. Chance heard

 _Crap, this isn't fair. They'll humiliate him!_

Feral pulled a stopwatch from his back pocket. "Let's begin, shall we? Clawson, on my word!"

Jake made a small nod, only focusing on the course ahead of him.

Feral held up his hand in signal, and no one spoke. "Ready…!"

 _Damn that Feral…Well, I'm rooting for ya, buddy. You can do this…I hope._

"Go!"

* * *

Jake's chest had never heaved more in his life, but he took off in a sprint anyway.

 _It's just my luck, the one time I had to get picked first, it had to be now..._

The set of monkey bars approached him, causing the young tom to leap as high as he could, grasping for the first metal bar. His right hand connected first, then his left, followed slowly by his right again. Jake didn't bother to hide the strain on his face anymore, as sweat drenched him everywhere.

 _One bar at a time, Jake. Don't let go._

It had seemed too long before Jake reached the end of the set, finally letting go of the last bar. His landing was botched, but he picked himself up anyway, not wanting to lose any more time.

Jake saw the tires, sprawled in a back-forward pattern on the ground, demanding his co-ordination. Carefully taking one step after another, Jake cleared the tires without tripping, but could already hear the others laughing at his cautious hesitation.

The roped net came quickly afterwards, leaving Jake to force himself into prone position. The ground was frim and uneven, as his legs scraped through dirt and loose gravel. As Jake crawled further, he could feel the net begin to tangle into his ears, causing him to stop and readjust himself.

"Step on it, Clawson. You're running out of time!"

 _Thanks for the reminder, Captain._

Jake grunted his way through, ignoring the scraping on his arms. Crawling out the end of the net, the rope swing was the only thing he could see between him and the haul to the finish.

After taking a second to recover himself, Jake pushed his body forward, speed building. With as much momentum as he could muster, Jake ran and clung onto the rope tightly, before leaping across the pit of mud below him.

 _Kats, I'm nearly there…Just keep it together…_

Jake picked up his pace. The finish line appeared in sight, getting closer and closer as his body protested more and more.

 _I'm making it, I'm doing it! I'm almost-_

"Time!"

 _No…!_

Jake took the last step over the finishing line before collapsing onto the ground. Letting air slowly back into his lungs as his head pounded in syncopation to his heartbeat.

"Clawson! Jake, is it?" Jake could barely hear the Captain yelling at him over his own breathing, not that he needed to.

"Yes sir?" It became an automatic response by this point. Nothing else needed to be said.

The Captain now stood in front of him. "You failed to pass under the required time, and as a result, I must call this your first strike."

 _Dammit...dammit! All that for nothing…_

"That's a load of crap! He finished the course, didn't he?"

Jake heard Chance's voice cut the silence.

The Captain barely gave the tom a glance. "I've made my decision." He turned on Jake again. "Five minutes was generous enough as it was. Even if you passed a few seconds earlier, it wouldn't change the fact that you struggled immensely-through our first basic course, no less!"

Jake nodded, hoping it would silence the Captain's monologue. "I understand, sir."

The Captain showed no sign of sympathy. "You're dismissed until lunch. Don't be late, or don't stay here at all." He turned back. "We're wasting time, people! When I call your name, step up to the start line, and be ready to run!"

Jake didn't bother listening anymore, as he briskly stood himself up. His breathing had eased up, but the internal pounding of his organs remained.

"Copperfeld, step forward!"

 _It's alphabetical…So he just wanted an excuse to pick me first because I was the weakest, huh? Probably wanted to pick off the runt first, or make everyone else feel better about themselves, like some morale boost? That's all I'm worth to them, huh?_

Jake looked over the crowd of recruits darkly, lined up to wait their turn. His eyes met with Chance, who gave him a sympathetic look-one Jake thought he wasn't capable of. Jake threw a smile, hoping it was enough to thank the tom for his support.

It was at that same moment Jake noticed some of the other kats staring at him, making the mistake of meeting eye contact with one of them. They had a familiar smirk on their face, one Jake could remember seeing on old high-school tormentors.

Only this time it was much more blatant who would be picked off as the weak-his failure of the obstacle course saw to that.

 _What did I expect? Things never change, people never grow up-even after High School. Myself included…_

Jake turned away and walked back to the dormitory, not daring to glance back again.

* * *

As much as Chance hated to admit, the obstacle course was incredibly easy-especially under the generous time-limit. The yellow tom had experience in fitness, but he would never call himself a star athlete-(always missing the cut for the school's best football team was proof of that).

Chance didn't care to agree with Feral, but the reluctant realization still remained.

 _If Jake could barely do that course…it's only gonna be harder on him later down the line. So why the hell DID he come here? It's not like he thought he could make it anyway…_

That was the mystery; if Jake Clawson knew he was so unfit for the Enforcers in the first place-why did he try so hard to complete the training course in the first place? He lacked the experience, fitness and even the confidence to prevail, so why did he bother?

 _Because….he wants to be an Enforcer, despite all of that._

Of course, there was more to Jake's backstory than that, but the realization was enough to spring Chance to action.

 _I gotta do something._

With a sudden spark of inspiration, Chance found his way back to the dormitory. Unsurprisingly, Jake was in his bed, reading one of his books.

"Hey, how're you going?" Somehow, striking up a conversation became harder for Chance the second time.

Jake shrugged, not moving his eyes from the book. "Alright, and you?"

Chance picked up on Jake's dark tone. "I'm okay…You wanna talk?"

"About what?"

"You know…what happened earlier-"

"What about it?" Jake's tone was noticeably thinner than before. "It was bound to happen sometime, right? It definitely won't be the last either..."

"C'mon, you came close! If Feral hadn't put you first-"

"I still would've struggled, we all know that. I don't think I've exercised so much in my entire life and hell, everyone here's an athlete next to me!"

 _Well Chance, it's time for an idea..._

"Then I guess we have to do something about that, huh?" Chance let his confidence beam through his smirk. "Feel like another run?"

This time, Jake turned his head. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but…no thanks."

 _He ain't buying it…_

Chance folded his arms. "Well how the hell else are you gonna get better? Reading ain't gonna improve your fitness, you know!"

"Still better than making an ass out of myself! You've seen me run-"

"You'll make even more an ass of yourself if you don't practice and get fitter. That's how it works."

"You really think it's that easy? That I can be like you, just like that, in a day?"

"Maybe not a _day_ but three months? Sure, why not?" Chance reached out his hand. "Besides, what fun is graduating if I don't have a friend to do it with?"

Jake glanced over the hand, then sighed. "You're not gonna give up, are you?"

"Sorry, it ain't my principle."

"Alright, fine." Jake sat up. "But if I pass out in exhaustion, it's on you."

Chance beamed another winning grin. "Don't worry about it, I'm not like Feral!"

"Guess not…" Jake made a small smile. "So how long are we doing this?"

"'Till lunch, no exceptions!"

 _Urgh, I just sounded like Feral for a second. Never again._

"Until lunch?" Jake's eyes darted to the nearest clock. "That's like _two hours_ from now!"

"So? We'll take a break…"

"Only _one_?!"

"Or two, if you earn it." Chance smirked. "C'mon, we don't have all morning!"

"Yes _sir_ , I'm on it…"

"Yeah…don't call me that. Ever."

Chance laughed as he headed out the door, Jake hesitantly following behind. Feral continued to yell at the cadets at the obstacle course, but didn't keep his attention on much else, thankfully.

 _Guess bossing people around all day comes with the title, huh? That must make him popular…_

Jake's attention followed Chance's. "You think anyone's done as badly as I have?"

"Ah…" Chance hesitated to answer. "Not yet, I don't think…"

The auburn rolled his eyes. "Well that's reassuring…"

Chance stopped and turned back. "Look, none of that crap matters, ok? People like Feral just use tests like these to 'prove' they're better than you-but it only matters here and in the next three months. We pass that, and we're home free."

"You make that sound easy."

"It will be easy…eventually. You just have to work hard and trust me, ok?"

Jake huffed. "I know, I trust you.."

Chance put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sure, the first few weeks will be hard, but you'll get better…eventually." Chance turned back and began moving. "Come on, follow me."

The yellow-furred tom took off with a steady jog, letting the auburn follow behind him. It wasn't long before they gained distance from the training courses and came across a back field. Chance looked around, nobody could be seen nearby.

 _Great, no distractions._ Chance slowed down to a stop. "You ready?"

Jake gave that question a pause, before nodding. "Yeah…I think so."

 _Good enough for me._ "Right. I guess we're already warmed up, let's start with upper-body strength; push-ups. We'll do a row of five, then ten, fifteen and finally twenty, and then move onto holds, ok?"

And so their first session of training together began, and so it continued on for a good portion of their morning. When Chance was satisfied with the exercise, he would announce to do something else; burpees, squats, push-ups, coming up with as many exercises as he could, before coming back to push-ups, starting the cycle once again. It certainly felt like a productive way to spend time, not that Chance had much else to do anyway.

Jake was coping well with the practice, despite his struggles. His physical inexperience could only take him so far, but it didn't stop the young tom from trying, at least. Every instruction Chance gave Jake followed with no complaint, even if he could hardly breathe anyway. His reluctant determination was admirable, if not impressive.

 _He's certainly not in shape, but he's got potential, that's for sure._

Soon enough the hours passed by, and after numerous breaks, Chance decided to end the practice for the morning.

Choosing a place to sit down, Chance gave Jake a smile, and patted the ground beside him. "Nice work, buddy. I told you it was possible!"

Jake sat down beside him, heaving. "Are you kidding me? I could barely keep up…"

Chance shook his head. "So what? It ain't about keeping up. That's the damn problem with this place, with its stupid courses and their 'requirements'. One mistake, one failure, and that's all they think to see in you afterwards."

"Then what's the point of all this, I'm still screwed, aren't I?"

Chance looked back at the buildings of the facility.

 _This isn't the right place for him, and I still can't figure out why he'd come here. But still…_

The bigger tom made a small laugh. "C'mon, if I thought you were screwed, I wouldn't be trying to help you, would I?"

"Heh, yeah I guess so…." Jake agreed passively. "But…thanks. You know, for trying to make me better at this..."

"You can thank me when we graduate, buddy." Chance pat his friend's shoulder. "Sure, you got a long way to go, but we'll show them..."

"We?" Jake asked. "You mean…you still wanna keep helping me?"

Chance made a smirk. "You thought I was kidding? If we're gonna be stuck in this dump for three months, might as well make the most of it, right?" The tom stood up, holding out a hand.

Jake took the paw, more confidently than he did before, and pulled himself up. "I guess so..."

The larger kat smiled at his partner. "I know so." He beckoned to the buildings. "You wanna hit the dorms?"

"Sure….ah. Actually, no." Jake stopped, then gave Chance a look that surprised him. One of fierce decisiveness. "Can we run that through again?"

* * *

The next few days of that week were grueling for the young auburn. Jake, being one who had rarely made a point to exercise before, now jumped into the deep end of military training.

It was exhausting to say the least. As expected, the daily Boot Camp timetable consisted of countless drills, obstacle course runs and even the occasional competitive race, football match, or brawl with the other cadets. While Jake didn't particularly participate, let alone excel, at any of this, he found himself adjusting to the work slowly. If Jake was able to do anything, it was to adapt.

After all, things were easier when he knew someone believed in him.

Whenever Jake had free time to spare, Chance insisted to run through more drills with him-and Jake could hardly say no to the only friend he had. As it turned out, the exercises Chance gave him were more tiring than the Captain's-not because of the exercises themselves (Chance was much more lenient with that), but because Jake found himself putting more effort into it. But even if the training was painful at times, the smaller kat refused to show face in front of his only friend, even putting more bravado into his technique occasionally.

During their third session, after a grueling full body routine, Chance took notice. "There you go, now you're looking like an Enforcer!"

Jake didn't really believe that, but it was one the best compliments he could hear. "Do Enforcers….normally heave….this much…?"

Chance just laughed that off. "It's all part of the process, buddy. You can't gain without taking the pain, right?"

"Yeah…" Jake numbly agreed, before starting another grueling routine.

When the final day of the week rolled by, another early morning preceded the second bi-weekly fitness test. Three months of training equated to about twelve weeks, meaning 24 mandatory tests of fitness.

So far, only Jake had failed the first test with the obstacle course.

 _That's fine, I've gotten a bit better…I think. Guess we'll see, won't we?_

Captain Feral, standing in a similar position as to the beginning of the week, cleared his voice. "Cadets, you are nearing the end of your first week! Not a grand accomplishment, but for some it may seem like it…"

 _Gee, I wonder who he's talking about…_

"Regardless, the final test of each week is designed to showcase the limit of what is expected of you, and will push you even further! I expect some of you will fail, but that doesn't excuse failure!"

Feral allowed a pause for the crowd to murmur before continuing. "Now, the course. The time limit will be _five minutes_ , as per last time, but after running the first course you will follow with a sprint to _that_ flagpole, which you will climb to touch the top! Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Everyone automatically replied.

Jake's confidence took a hit in the gut.

 _A pole climb?! We've never had to do that before…_

"The first cadet to run this course shall be…" Captain Feral looked over his name list.

 _Kats alive, what the hell am I gonna do…?_

"Manderly, to the start!"

 _What the-? That's not my name!_

Jake let out a breath he didn't realize he'd held. He looked at the Captain, then at the kat who'd been picked first.

"Hurry up! Don't think I didn't see you slacking off yesterday! Move it!"

 _Is that why didn't he go alphabetical again? Or maybe…_

"About time he gave you a minute to breathe, huh?" Chance appeared beside him.

Jake sighed. "Not like it'll make a difference. How the hell can I do all that in five minutes?"

"You almost did it the last time, and now you're even better!" Chance smiled. "That course is nothing!"

"Maybe, but what about that sprint to the pole, and hell, what about _climbing_ that pole?"

"You're light, it'll be easier for you, won't it?"

"Not if can't pull myself up!"

The Captain's bark cut the conversation off. "Alright cadets, I want this test to run quick and smoothly. As I call your last name, line up by the start line! Ford, Steele, Copperfeld, Furlong…"

Name after name followed, until eventually Jake's was called last.

 _Seriously, what is with this order? I don't get it…Did Feral want me to go last on purpose? Am I just overthinking this all?_

Whatever the reason, Jake had no choice but to stand at the back of the line. Knowing the wait would kill him, he resolved to watch each Cadet run the test-to gauge if his own skills could beat it. So far, it looked manageable, tough, but manageable.

 _But who am I kidding? These guys know their stuff better than I do. They probably only JUST failed their football scholarships…_

There were some failures amongst cadets, however; those who couldn't defeat the flagpole and climb to the top. That seemed to be the main challenge for everyone, and Jake knew he wouldn't be an exception.

 _Makes me feel a little less lonely about failing…but even if I'm not the only failure in this course, I'll still have one more strike than everyone else, won't I?_

Even watching Chance run the course gave Jake no comfort, as he effortlessly swung, ran, crawled and climbed through it effortlessly. The pole climb weighed him down a bit, but even so the athletic kat topped it in a matter of seconds.

 _His upper-body strength is astounding. How can I measure up with that?_

As it turned out, Chance's time was four minutes and forty-four seconds, according to Feral's stopwatch. Jake couldn't figure out if that was a good time, but it passed. As far as he knew, the other passing cadets had a similar time, if not, later.

Before he even realized it, Jake's name was called up by the Captain.

"Clawson, you're last up. To the line, cadet."

 _Oh crud, here I go…_

"C'mon Jake, light and fast!" Jake could hear Chance cheer from a crowd of cadets, which he only just noticed was there to watch him.

 _I guess everyone else is here to see me struggle…Is my failure really that entertaining?_

"On your mark."

 _Well, Chance believes in me, so screw them, right?_

"Get set."

 _Light and fast…that's all I gotta do, that's all I can do…_

"GO!"

 _I gotta RUN!_

Jake took off, holding nothing back with his sprint to the course.

The obstacle course was the same as last time, but everything seemed like a blur to the auburn. All he could think about was the stopwatch in Feral's hand, dictating his worth. The monkey bars didn't blister his hands as much as it did last time, nor did his knees scrap as painfully. Every step Jake took moved to a practiced rhythm, his past mistakes adjusted his current actions. Before he knew it, the course had been cleared faster than he remembered doing so before.

With a new level of confidence he hadn't realized was there, Jake took off to the flagpole. After taking his best leap, he latched onto the pole and pulled himself up.

 _You fall, you fail. You climb, you thrive._

Jake's gut began hurting, as he hauled his centre of gravity further upwards.

 _You fall, you fail. You climb you thrive. Light and fast…_

His arms were on fire, his legs even more so. He only took a second to wipe the sweat off his palms.

 _You fall you fail….I'm not gonna fricking fail. Not again! Not this time!_

With the top in reach, Jake let out a determined yell, and reached for his goal.

 _COME ON!_

He felt his paw tap the base of metal on top before he lost his grip and fell.

"Time!" Feral shouted from a distance.

Jake hit the ground, instinctively rolling, but collapsed a second later.

 _My head...Why is it pounding so loudly? Kats, I feel sick..._

"HELL YEAH!" Jake could hear his only running towards him. "You did it, buddy, you made the cut!"

A wave of nausea hit Jake as he spoke. "What?"

Chance lifted Jake off the ground and grabbed his shoulders, shaking the smaller kat in congratulations with a beaming grin on his face. "You didn't hear Feral? You did it in _four minutes and twenty-two seconds_! You were the fastest!"

 _Huh? So I made it in time? I actually did it...I actually did it! Holy kats!_

The young auburn felt his friend slap his back, hard but proud. "I told you you'd be fine, didn't I? All that training wasn't for nothing, you know!"

Jake let out a small laugh, even though he was already losing focus, along with the energy to concentrate. He was exhausted like he'd never been, but he felt victorious, like a cartoon superhero he'd watch on TV all the time as a kid. Someone strong enough to beat any obstacle presented, to work hard to not only survive, but thrive.

With all that excitement, Jake looked back at the flagpole he triumphed. A single word resonated his success.

 _Bingo._


	3. Chapter 3

The first month of Enforcer training following that first harrowing week passed by with comparative ease for the cadets. Captain Feral's routine, while strict, became a simple matter of adjustment, and the constant exercise eventually became expected, and even welcomed, on good days.

Through all of it, only one recruit had been forced to leave-and that had been due to an unchecked criminal record, which no-one really knew the details of save the Captain. As far as most were concerned, their career as an Enforcer was off to a good start.

Month Two of enforcer boot camp was hell.

In the Captain's words, the second month of training "is designed to test the physical and mental limits of any kat, only then to push past their breaking point."

Jake remembered hearing those words on the first hot summer morning of that second month. He stood in the remaining crowd of cadets (about a third had been kicked out) and mentally prepared himself for the onslaught.

 _How bad could it be? Wait, forget I said that!_

All of a sudden, cadets were forced to get up even earlier than usual, and lunch break became non-existent. On top of that, the exercises became more time was limited to an hour a day, the legal minimum for training camps. Jake needed that hour just to keep his fitness up.

Training with Chance had helped a lot, though. There were times where even he struggled, but the yellow tabby tried not to let it show. Jake immensely respected him for that.

"How the heck do you do it?" Jake asked him one time during their sessions.

The tom in question was doing pushups. "How do I do what?"

"That-well, you know-how are you so…confident?"

"Huh?" Chance chuckled. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just, nothing seems to phase you about this place. You look like you have it all under control, compared to everyone else. How is that even possible?"

"What, you really think nothing fazes me here?"

"Well, it sure doesn't look like it!"

"Heh, believe me. I have my weaknesses too, not that I'd tell ya', of course..." The golden fur kat winked. "Wouldn't want to ruin my image, being your role model and all."

"Oh shut-up!" Jake looked away, trying to ignore the fact that Chance was, in fact, his best inspiration.

Chance just laughed it off. "Hey, I'm kidding I'm kidding!"

Month Two nearly broke Jake, but it wasn't impossible. He survived, but only because of Chance.

 _I still need to get better, so I ain't gonna fall behind now...I'll survive this, I know I can!_

* * *

When Feral told the cadets about the second month of training, Chance looked forward to the challenge.

Not that the first month hadn't been difficult, of course. Chance had actually gotten himself a strike already. Not paying attention to the Captain's instructions and nearly getting himself lost during a hiking simulation was, for the most part, very embarrassing.

That aside, Chance wanted Month Two to push his limits, make him suffer, shape him into a better athlete. A better person, maybe.

Safe to say, Month Two did not disappoint in making him suffer.

What Chance did not like at all was Feral's obvious discrimination of cadets he deemed "not good enough". It reminded him of one of his overly strict high school teachers, only Feral was way less attractive.

There were times Chance needed someone to vent his frustrations to, and Jake was always his first choice.

"Kats, what's his freaking deal anyway?"

"Who?" Jake asked, doing sit-ups.

"Who do you think? Our dear Captain just loves to pick on the little guy, huh?"

"You mean little guys like me?"

 _Crap._

"I didn't mean-"

"Yeah you did, look at me. I haven't gained any muscle since middle school." Jake sat up, made a smile, then looked in the Captain's direction. "But...I don't entirely blame him, you know?"

"What?! You're screwing with me. What the hell do you mean?"

Jake paused to consider his thoughts. "I think, if we're really going to be enforcers, then we have to be prepared for everything, especially the worst."

"Well yeah, but this is just training! He's just acting like a dick -tator to a bunch of greenhorns, that ain't right!"

"But we're gonna have to face rough stuff like that eventually right? Maybe he's just...giving us the worst he can to see if we have the resolve to make the final cut."

"Why are you defending him?" Chance didn't mean to sound upset, he was just confused.

"I'm not...It's just that I think there's a reason he has to be an asshole. And it's not like it hasn't improved our results, right?"

Now it was Chance's turn to look away. "Hmph, easy for you to say. You're the fastest one here."

"Oh sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say that again?"

Chance could hear the smile in the auburn's question. "Screw you, and get back to sit ups, lazyass!"

"Aye aye, captain ."

"Shut it!" Chance kept himself from laughing, so he wouldn't give Jake another comedic victory.

The one thing Chance respected most about Jake wasn't his razor sharp wit, however. It was the fact that a month ago he had been a nervous wreck, but by Month Two, he had become a rival to be careful of.

 _Jake Clawson, you'll be an Enforcer yet...Better not let you get ahead of me!_

* * *

The Third Month that followed the harrowing one before it was far less climactic. Training remained intense, of course, but by this point Jake had adjusted to the hellish life of boot camp. It was weird, but Jake almost enjoyed the experience.

 _No, that's not the right way of putting it. It was more like...a fulfilling experience, I think._

Chance had caught him out for smiling one morning. "You're in a good mood, what the hell happened?"

Jake looked at the sky. "Ah, it's nothing. Nothing at all."

"Sure…" Chance gave him a look that said he was crazy. Jake felt inclined to agree.

In retrospect, what made the experience fulfilling was likely Chance's friendship, but Jake didn't dare tell him that.

When the final day somehow rolled by, Feral announced his final exercise to the last ten recruits.

"Alright, listen up everyone! Today will be your final day of this camp, I don't need to say that you all have worked very hard to get to this point…"

 _Was...that a compliment I heard, just now?_

"BUT!" The Captain continued. "There is one final task that all cadets are required to pass in order to finish. All of your training will become meaningless should you fail!"

 _Jeez, no pressure…_

"You lot may be surprised, but it won't be any exercise or physical training courses!" Feral dramatically cleared his throat. "Instead, I will intervieweach and every one of you and decide if you're worth admission!"

 _Oh_ kats _, finally! Something that I don't have to kill myself for..._

 _Jake turned to Chance. "Sure beats doing a_ five mile _jog under a time limit, huh?"_

The golden tom didn't mirror his relief. "I dunno...at least then I wouldn't have to act nice to a guy who definitely hates me."

Regardless, Jake maintained his optimism. "Well, he hasn't kicked you out yet! Besides, I'm pretty sure he hates everyone here."

"Heh, you got that right."

The Captain's voice barked. "Clawson, I want to see you first!"

Jake almost laughed at how unsurprised he was. Being picked first had become a running gag by now.

"Yes, sir!"

Chance quickly whispered. "Good luck, buddy. Give 'em hell!"

"I'll try." Jake replied, before following the Captain into the building where his office lay.

It was a rather lavish office, considering that the training camp was in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Jake immediately noticed awards and medals decorating the walls, and how even the chairs visitors were supposed to sit in were immensely luxurious.

The captain took a seat. "Clawson, sit."

"Yes, sir." Jake followed the order swiftly. Obedience was what kept him here, after all.

Feral held a file, presumably with Jake's information on it, and spoke. "It's been a trying couple of months for you hasn't it, Clawson?"

 _Huh?_

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I'm sure you remember the first day you arrived here, as everyone does." Feral leaned forward. "I don't need to remind you that you immensely struggled in those first few days, do I?"

 _Yeah, you definitely don't._

"No sir, I remember." Jake tried to keep his voice formal, without betraying his nerves.

"But to my surprise, you've made it this far. There were kats far fitter and able that couldn't reach this stage, but it appears you did."

 _Was that supposed to be a compliment? Sure didn't sound like it..._

"Thank you, sir. Making it here means a lot to me."

"Don't dwell on it. Feeling proud will get you nowhere."

 _I'm pretty sure Chance would make a smartass joke right about now._

"But enough about that, let's cut to the chase, shall we? I'm going to ask you one question, and if you answer it to my satisfaction, I'll let you enrol in the academy. Understood?"

 _No pressure …_

"I understand, sir."

Feral put down Jake's file and stared at him directly. "Why do you want to become an Enforcer?"

. _..Oh crap._

"Uh, well, I…" Jake stalled. "It's kind of a long story, sir."

 _Of_ course _he'd ask THAT question! I should've prepared some kind of answer…I gotta think of something!_

"I have all day, Clawson, but I don't like having my patience tested. If you don't have an answer, then I must question your motivations…"

"I'm sorry sir. I…" Jake straightened his posture. "Before I came here, I didn't like who I was...I wanted to be stronger. I knew training as an Enforcer would do that for me."

Jake knew the best way to avoid telling an ugly truth was telling half of it. He hoped that was a good enough answer.

"I see…" Feral clearly wasn't satisfied. "You do realise there is more to being an Enforcer than running obstacle courses? What about justice, crime prevention, keeping the city safe ? Did you think about any of that?"

Jake shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Ah, well…"

"Have you even decided what division you want to train for at the Academy?"

 _I really wasn't prepared for this…_

In a moment of pure madness, Jake looked Feral dead in the eyes. "I'll decide when you let me in."

 _When?! Why did I say when?!_

" _When_ I let you in?" Feral's expression hadn't changed, but his tone did. "And who says I'm going to do that?"

"No-one, sir." Jake replied. "If you don't, I'll just apply and do this boot camp again. There's nothing that stops me from doing that, according to the official handbook. As for my sense of justice, you'll just have to take my word for it, sir."

An uncomfortable pause followed for a good minute.

"Hmph!" Feral stood up from his chair. "You're done, get out of here!"

Jake immediately stopped smiling. "What?"

 _Ah crap, I went too far. I freaking blew it!_

The captain continued. "You have more guts than I expected. Get out of my office and head down the hall,last door on the left. Congratulations Clawson, you completed boot camp."

* * *

Minutes passed before the loudspeaker in the main courtyard called the next kat's name."

 _"The next cadet to come to my office will be Jonathan Steele. Steele, get over here!"_

Chance had no clue how Steele made it so far. He seemed like a pompous ass the day he met him, hardly capable to be a full-on enforcer.

 _Wait, that must mean Jake's done with the interview! Oh crap, I wonder how it went…_

He didn't see his friend come out of the building, which meant that cadets would be dealt with privately after the interview.

 _I guess they sign you up to the academy...or boot you outta the back exit._

Chance hoped, obviously, that the latter hadn't happened to Jake.

 _He'll be fine! It's not like HE did anything to piss Feral off. Then again…_

"Chance Furlong, you're next. Don't make me wait!"

 _Gee, that was fast. Guess he failed Steele immediately, huh?_

Chance didn't have time to feel sympathetic, even if he wanted to. He made his way to Feral's office.

When Chance arrived he knew exactly what to expect. This wasn't the first time he had been sent to Feral's office.

"Furlong.." Chance could hear the disdain in the captain's voice. "I'd congratulate you for making it this far, but you have enough arrogance already..."

 _Coming from you that's an honor._

"You're right." Chance sat down and smiled. "But you can't argue with results, right Captain?"

Feral didn't look amused. "Your training results may be the reason you're here right now, but that's not what I care about right now!"

"Oh really?" The tabby leaned back. "So, what do you want me to do right now?"

"Tell me, why do you want to be in the Enforcers?" Feral mimicked Chance's posture, leaning back condescendingly

"I wanna be a pilot in your Air Force." Chance answered with full confidence. "Nothing you can't say to change my mind..."

"That's what it says on your file…" Feral cleared his throat. "What I mean to ask is what you seek to gain from being an Enforcer Pilot."

 _What is he trying to get from me?_

Chance kept his composure. "I wanna be a pilot for the sake of being a pilot, what else is there to it?"

"There's a lot more to it, actually!" The captain turned his chair to face his wall of awards. "Look there, what do you see?"

 _Great, now I gotta hear him brag about his career..._

"A bunch of medals, certificates…." Chance stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "You're very accomplished, I can tell."

"I didn't get those because I just wanted to be a pilot…" Feral looked back to Chance. "Having honour, following rules, being selfless, being resourceful. These are all traits that are sought after for those that study at our academy. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

 _Yep._

Chance sighed. "You wanna know if I have those traits myself, that I'm not just a musclehead jock wanting fame and glory, right?"

For a second, Feral looked surprised. "You're awfully self-aware for someone so disobedient...But can you prove those traits, I wonder?"

"I don't understand, what do you want me to do?"

"You don't get it do you?" "Sure, you're capable of completing tasks, but at the end of the day, you don't have the character! You lack discipline, and i'm unconvinced you have the moral integrity to righteously serve and protect Megakat City!"

 _Asshole...You don't know me!_

"That's wrong!" Chance practically leaped from his chair. "Okay, I know you and I don't get along, but you can't just decide I have no morals or anything like that. How the hell can you do that with physical training anyway? That's a load of crap, sir, and even if I am a bit of an asshole sometimes, that won't stop me from doing what I believe is right!"

"Chance Furlong-"

"Whatever!" Chance continued, nothing left to lose. "If you fail me here, I'm just gonna keep coming back, okay? I'd do this boot camp crud a million times if that's what it takes. Nothing will stop me."

For a moment, Feral sat in silence. Not shocked, not even surprised, but clearly contemplating what to say next.

"You have quite the nerve, talking to me like that…" But after another long moment, the Captain dropped his scowl and sighed. "You may be intolerable, but you have guts, perhaps even some bravery. Now get out of my office and get enrolled down the hall."

"What…" Chance hardly knew what to say. "Uh, t-thank you, sir."

"Don't dwell on it!" Feral flipped back to his usual demeanor. "At least this way, I'll never have to deal with you again."

 _Glad we're finally on the same page, Feral._

"Understood!" Chance couldn't stop himself from grinning immensely as he left the office.

 _Freeeedom! Hell yeah!_

The formal application process was boring but easy. Personal details, another medical exam and a few signatures later, Chance was free to go along with his personal belongings.

Outside the front gate, Chance immediately recognised someone.

"Jake!" Chance ran over to the auburn. "Did you...you know…"

"Yeah, I got in." Jake smiled. "I'm assuming you did too, then?"

"Hell yeah I did! Were you waiting for me?"

"Well, it's not like I had anything better to do." Jake chuckled, then paused. "I uh, was also hoping to catch a ride. If you have space, of course."

"Glad to know you care so much about me." Chance then hit himself. "Ah crud, I totally forgot to give my Mom a call! Guess I gotta walk home and get my ear bitten off…"

"How far is your place, exactly?"

Chance groaned internally. "I'm guessing well over thirty miles from here."

Jake nodded his head. "Well, maybe we don't have to walk that far. I might still have a place near downtown, you can use the phone there and...stay the night, if you want?"

 _Hey, now that's an idea!_

Chance nodded. "Beats walking a double marathon. Lead the way, buddy!"

"Haha, sure." Jake smiled again. It was noticeably more confident than when Chance met him three months ago.

 _Pretty sure I'm not the tom that has guts...Feral has it all wrong, really._

"Heh, look at you." Chance punched his friend in the shoulder. "I told ya you could get better in three months!"

Jake laughed a little. "Yeah, guess you were right."

"So, when should I expect your payment?" Chance grinned. "You know, for coaching you and being such a brilliant mentor!"

At this point, Jake punched him back. "Having to deal with your 'mentoring' is payment enough, I think."

"Ouch!"

Laughing, the two newly inaugurated Enforcer students began a long walk to the city. Their baggage was heavy and the sun was still high, but it was easily the most satisfying walk of Chance Furlong's life.


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost evening when Chance and Jake reached Megakat City's lower downtown district.

 _Geez, so we're finally near Jake's place, huh?_

Chance's feet were killing him, but he tried to save face. "So your place is around here?"

"Yeah, we're almost there..." Jake responded, clearly tired out. "It's a crummy area, I know. But it's...affordable."

"Oh yeah, sure." If Chance was completely honest, he'd never gone near this area of the city before. He always knew the downtown district was less than well off, but actually being there was something else.

 _Guess I had a pretty spoiled kittenhood, huh? Can't be helped, I guess._

"Well, here we are." Jake announced.

A cruddy-looking apartment complex stood in front of them. Chance could only hope it looked better on the inside.

Chance dropped his bags to sit down for a second. "Finally! Good thing we did all that training before that walk, huh?"

"You're telling me. I've never walked so much in my entire life!" Jake looked towards the admin office. "Alright, give me a second. Gotta pay the landlady all those months I've missed, and hope she doesn't bite my tail off."

"You skipped on rent!?" Chance disguised his surprise with a light laugh. "Didn't take you for a deadbeat criminal."

"I'm not- "Jake sighed. "Okay, I didn't think things through that much when I left for boot camp. But hey, in my defence, I didn't think I'd make it that long in boot camp! Maybe I should blame _you_ for that."

"I think you're supposed to say _thank_ you."

" _Screw_ you!" Jake walked off to the office, but he didn't sound angry.

 _I could get used to riling him up. I mean, that's what friends do, right?_

Fortunately, Jake survived his meeting with the landlady, although he appeared to be slightly rattled afterward. After a short flight of stairs, the two toms entered the apartment.

The place looked cleaner than Chance had expected, and the living room-although small-had a bit of personality. A large signed poster of a nighttime talk show host stood out the most.

"Oh thank kats, they didn't throw away any of my stuff." Jake dropped his bags in his room and made his way to the kitchen. "Do you want anything? Maybe some milk?"

Chance rolled his shoulders. "You don't have any beer, do you?"

"I do, but.." Jake opened the fridge and observed the insides. "Yeah, it expired. Sorry."

"A can of milk it is." Chance took a seat. "This ain't a bad place, all things considered."

"It does the job." Jake passed Chance a can and sat at the table. "Not much of an improvement from the camp, I'm afraid."

"I don't know…" Chance opened his can. "Beats the snoring toms, freezing night temperatures and Feral screaming in the morning. Compared to that, this is paradise!"

"Even better, you can have the bed." Jake motioned to his bedroom. "I'll have to clean it up a bit first but-"

 _Oh no you don't!_

Chance waved a paw dismissively. "Nah, I'll take the couch. Don't worry about it."

Jake shook his head. "No, I insist! You're the guest, and you were kinda forced to come here so…"

"Dude, I don't mind. I've slept on heaps of couches before." Chance lied. "Besides, you're giving me a place to stay and a working phone! You don't owe me anything."

"But…" Jake sighed. "I know you're stubborn, but c'mon-"

"Nope. That couch is mine." Chance smirked. "I'm not letting you have this, just face it, buddy."

"Fine, it's your funeral…" Jake drank his can, conceding.

Chance looked around Jake's apartment and decided to change the subject. "So what's the deal with that poster, hanging over the couch?"

 _Not the most thrilling conversation starter, Chance._

"O-Oh, that?" Jake cleared his throat. "You haven't heard of David Litterbin?"

"...Can't say I have." Chance looked at the poster again. "I take it he's some kind of talk show host?"

"Yeah...he interviews all kinds of people, but he's also pretty funny. At least, I think so…" Jake looked away.

 _Is he...embarrassed by that? Wow, he totally is!_

Chance grinned. "Heh, you must be a pretty big fan, huh?"

"Oh, w-well...I guess I just like his dry sarcasm, he's pretty smart." Jake looked back at Chance. "What about you? What do you like to watch?"

 _Uh...well….Ah screw it. He'll find out sooner or later, right?_

"I...I guess I've always been into...cartoons, personally." Chance straighten his posture, trying to look dignified. "I think Scaredy Kat's pretty cool…"

Jake blinked, then broke into a grin of his own. "...Scaredy Kat? Really? You're talking about the kids show, right?"

"Oh shut up! It's funny and entertaining…."

Jake chuckled. "For kittens, yeah."

"Hey, it still holds up!" Chance folded his arms, as Jake still laughed. "Oh yeah yeah, laugh it up, Litterbin fanboy."

"Sorry, sorry!" Jake held his paws up. "It's just...I never would have guessed. What, with you looking all rough and tough. I think it's kinda neat, actually."

 _Huh? Neat?!_

Chance gave him a look. "Really?"

"Yeah. Like, you don't care if it's childish, as long as you enjoy it, right?" Jake laid back in his chair. "Means you're not just some boring adult, you know?"

 _Yeah...yeah! You're totally right!_

"Well, I can't complain about that, can I?" Chance crushed his can of milk. "Hey listen, is it okay if I use your phone to call my Mom? I really gotta get that out of the way."

Jake nodded. "Sure, it's over by the kitchen."

"Thanks."

Chance found the receiver and, taking a deep breath, dialed the number he had memorised over ten years. Holding the phone up to his ear, he heard his mother's voice come on.

* * *

 _Well, this is a first. Don't think I've had anyone over here before...much less an actual friend._

Jake sat on the couch, drumming his paws on his lap. He found the remote for the TV and turned it on. Litterbin wouldn't be on for another hour, but at least he could find _something_ to watch. Switching to the comedy channel, he settled on a corny sitcom and turned his brain off.

 _For the last three months, I've done nothing but exercise. I think I deserve a bit of television._

About ten minutes in, Jake's ears perked at the sound of the telephone hanging up.

"Hey, is it okay if I use your shower?" Chance asked from the living room. "I'm still sweating from all the walking we did."

"Sure, go ahead." Jake glanced over his shoulder. "Just go through my room, end of the hall. The shower's kind of an ensuite."

"Okay." Chance followed the instruction, leaving Jake by himself, alone with his thoughts.

 _Okay Jake, whatever you do; don't freak out at the fact that another guy's using your shower. Don't think about it, there's nothing weird about that….right?_

Jake could hear the shower turn on in the distance. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume, trying to keep his mind out of the gutter.

Of course that all went out the window ten minutes later when Chance emerged from the bathroom. Casually, he walked into the living room and sat down next to Jake, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The sight caught Jake's eye immediately.

 _Holy kats! He's...totally ripped...Crap, snap out of it!_

"That's a fancy TV." Chance remarked, unfazed by how _close_ he was. "Did ya buy it?"

"N-Nah, I found it in some garage sale." Jake kept his eyes intensely focussed on the TV. "It was pretty broken, but I managed to fix it up a little."

"It looks brand new to me." "You didn't tell me you were some kind of mechanic."

 _Urgh, compliments aren't helping!_

"I'm not, really." Jake smiled passively. "I just...sorta read a manual, and used a bit of intuition, you know?"

"Well, I sure ain't good at that sort of stuff. Guess I don't have the patience to figure it out." Chance laughed. "Maybe you're just a genius mechanic, waiting to happen."

"M-maybe..." Jake desperately changed the subject. "So what did your Mom say?"

"Nothing I haven't heard over a thousand times…" Chance groaned. "I worried the hell outta her, that's for sure. I hadn't phoned her the past three months, and now I'm just at some strangers apartment..."

"Oh, I'm a stranger, now?" Jake smiled, pretending to feel offended.

Chance grinned. "As far as she's concerned, yeah. But she's coming over tomorrow, around lunch. Somehow, I think she'll like you."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah, she'll be over the moon. She tries to befriend anyone that comes in contact with me-that's how she is..."

Jake laughed a little. "She must care a lot about you…"

"Moms are weird like that." Chance chuckled. "I'm sure yours ain't any different!"

 _…Oh..._

Jake didn't know what to say to that. He paused for an uncomfortable amount of time, unsure if he should tell the truth, or just play along with his friend's happy conversation.

 _I've lied all my life, why stop now? I should make something up..._

 _...But…._

"Hey, you okay?" Jake felt a prod coming from his friend. "You're kind of spacing out there…"

Jake shook himself a little. "Huh? Oh, right. Sorry…"

"Seriously…" Chance looked concerned now. "I...said something wrong, didn't I?"

"No, it's…" Jake kept his head down. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Doesn't _sound_ like it's nothing…" Chance sighed. "Did she...pass away or something?"

 _Damn it. I gotta tell him, huh? It was bound to happen..._

"No, no. It's not like that…" Jake made himself breathe slowly. "I...she and I...haven't talked in a while, maybe over a year."

Chance paused. "Oh...that's, uh…Sorry, dude."

 _Just forget I said that. Please…_

"Really, it's no big deal!" Jake found himself gripping the couch tightly. "She and I just...don't get along anymore."

 _Understatement of the century. Why am I still talking about this? I need to stop talking about this!_

Chance clearly tried to process the sensitive information. "Did...something bad happen?"

"N-No! It's fine-"

"Really? You're totally dodging the issue!"

 _Shut up! You wouldn't understand!_

Jake couldn't take much more. "I...I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

He half expected Chance to suddenly back off, but the golden tom persisted. "Jake, it's clearly bothering you. I'm not gonna judge you, so whatevers wrong, you can tell me, alright?"

All of a sudden, Jake felt a warm, slightly damp, paw grasp his shoulder. He looked, and following that hand he saw a muscled arm, and a nervous, but kind expression. It was a simple act of friendly compassion, but it was maddening to the auburn's emotions.

For a second Jake closed his eyes and enjoyed it, but he didn't let it last.

Jake curtly stood up from the couch, placing distance from his friend. "I-I'm sorry. I just…I'll tell you later, but I can't..."

Chance stood up, still holding eye contact. "Hey, that's fine! Everything's chill, okay?"

 _Oh kats, I just ruined the evening. Things were going so well!_

"Okay." Jake felt his stomach tighten. "A-Anyway, I think I'm gonna use the shower now. See ya."

He was out of the room before he could hear Chance respond.

Once Jake closed the bathroom door behind him, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was a second away from being a sobbing mess.

 _I...why did I say anything at all?_

Jake closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

 _Why did I say I'd tell him later? I could've made something up, maybe...If he'd believe that..._

Shaking his head, he turned on the shower and tried to forget everything. After a minute of silence, and some hot water to relax him, Jake knew what he had to do.

 _I gotta be honest. I need to tell him sooner or later, might as well be tonight._

After drying off and getting changed, Jake walked back into the living room.

Fortunately, Chance was dressed decently now. He appeared to be watching Litterbin, not particularly amused, but strangely relaxed.

 _Well...he's definitely not mad. Of course he isn't, nothing gets to this guy!_

 _Nevermind that! I have to tell him, right now! I'll tell him everything..._

"Hey…" Jake tentatively sat back down on the couch. "Listen, about-"

"Dude, it's fine, I understand." Chance had his eyes on the TV. All of a sudden he motioned to David Litterbin. "Okay, I get why you like this guy, but why does he always sound so...unexciting?"

 _Or I could tell him another time. He did just change the subject, so I should just go with the flow. Yeah, that doesn't sound so bad….What did he just say?_

"Uh…" Jake took a second to recompose himself. "Well, with Litterbin I think people find his relaxed demeanor calming. Easier for late-night audiences, probably."

Chance considered that, leaning in closer to the TV. "Yeah...that makes sense, I guess. You want me to grab some more milk?"

Jake leaned back into the couch and let out a deep breath. "I can't say no to that, can I?"

The rest of the night went by as the two small-talked and watched TV. It was one of few moments Jake truly felt at home.

When they both got tired, Jake reluctantly gave Chance a pillow for the couch and headed back to his room.

"Hey, Jake." Chance called out.

Jake turned his head. "Yeah?"

Chance beamed a grin at him. "Thanks for letting me stay over, you're a lifesaver!"

"No problem." Jake smiled. "And uh, thanks for...uh, helping me get through boot camp! I really owe you one."

 _Nice save, Jake. Hope that didn't sound weird…_

"Heh. Careful, I might hold you to it!" Chance answered with a tired smile.

Jake finally got into his room and collapsed on his bed. As he slowly let himself breathe, the auburn could feel the weight of the past three months weigh down his eyes.

* * *

When Chance woke up he felt his backache. He regretted his decision to sleep on the couch.

Looking at the time, Chance saw that he had less than an hour to prepare for his mom's arrival.

 _Can't wait…_

Jake was already awake. In fact, he appeared to be in the middle of making breakfast. He looked at the time.

Nevermind, it's almost 12. Wow...That's the first sleep-in I've had in months!

"Woah…" Chance shot up at the smell. "Since when did you get bacon?"

"This morning." Jake answered. "While you were snoring, I went out and picked up a few things."

"When did you wake up?"

Jake paused. "Can't remember. Maybe 7:30, 8?"

Chance was astonished. "You didn't sleep in?"

"Nah, I ain't used to late mornings, not that I'd call 8am _late_..." Jake opened the fridge. "How do you like your eggs? Scrambled?"

 _Heh, looks like I chose the right tom to befriend!_

After a late breakfast, Chance took a shower and changed into the best-looking clothes he had on him (which wasn't saying much). Packing his stuff didn't take long, so within the hour Chance ended up waiting outside the apartment with Jake.

It was exactly half-past twelve when he recognised his Mom's car driving into the parking lot.

"Here we go…" Chance breathed calmly.

Jake laughed a little. "What are you so worried about? She seems nice!"

"Yeah, that's the problem!" Chance gulped. "It's freaking embarrassing..."

His mother practically ran up to him from the parked car and squeezed him tightly. "Chance, honey! It's been so long!"

Chance felt suffocated. "I was gone for three months Mom. Jeez…"

"Three _whole_ months!" Mom finally let go. "And look at you, you're even more muscular and handsome than when you left…How was the camp thing, dear?"

 _Holy crap, this is humiliating._

He could hear Jake smirking behind him. Chance crossed his arms. "It went fine, Mom. You don't need to make a big deal out of it…"

"I'll make as big a deal as I like." His mom made an equally cross face at her son. Then she noticed Jake and smiled. "Oh forgive my manners, you must be Chance's friend!"

"That I am, Ma'am." Jake held out his paw. "Jake Clawson, it's a pleasure."

Mom gave an impressed sigh. "My my, a young tom with manners! I hope my son learns a thing or two from you…"

" _Mom._ " Chance groaned.

"That aside, thank you for giving Chance a roof over his head." She appeared to be reaching for her purse. "Since I don't forget a kind deed like that…"

Jake held up his paws. "No-no, you really don't have to, Mrs. Furlong! It didn't cost me anything, really!"

"But, even so…" Mom looked at the crummy apartment building with concern, then looked at Jake. "You live here all by yourself, dear?"

"Well yeah," Jake answered. "It's all I could afford, really."

"Hmm…" Chance didn't like the look on his mother's face.

 _Uh oh._

Mom had the same look she had whenever she had her mind set on something. "Then you'll have to stay with us until you find something better!"

 _What?!_

"Mom, what are you…?" Chance stared at her.

"W-What?!" Jake also stared in surprise.

Mom shook her head. "You heard me! This area clearly isn't safe to be living alone, and I'll be darned if I let a good friend of my son live in the slums!"

Jake smiled at the gesture but held his paws up. "You don't need to worry about me, Mrs. Furlong. I've been here for a few months, and it really isn't that bad-"

Mom gave an unimpressed look. "Honey, I can tell when someone says a white lie. You ain't convincing me."

 _She's not lying. She really is that stubborn._

"Mom, you can't just ask my friend to move in with us!" Chance looked at Jake. "That's like, a huge decision to force on someone!"

"Sure I can!" Mom began walking to the apartment. "I'm sure we can pack your belongings in less than an hour. Now which apartment was yours, dear?"

Chance looked at Jake. "I'm sorry, she ain't gonna give up."

"I can tell." Jake replied. "She really is your Mom, huh?"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Heh," Jake motioned back to the apartment. "Well, might as well accept fate and let it happen…If that's okay with you?"

"Okay with me?"

"Well yeah," Jake looked away. "I don't want to impose or anything, so if it bothers you…"

"...No, it's totally fine, man."

"You hesitated."

"B-Because I was thinking about it!" Chance sighed. "It's just...ah nevermind, you'll see."

Jake now looked skeptical. "Okay, sure…"

Packing up everything Jake owned (a few sets of clothe, the poster and other token collectables) didn't take long. That didn't surprise anyone. Within the hour, they were on the road in Mom's car.

Jake looked back through the rear window. "I don't think I'm gonna miss that place...Even if it was cheap."

Chance's mom gave a pleased glance behind her. "Well honey, I think you'll find our home to be a great place! Much more...spacious."

"I really do appreciate it…" Jake fiddled his thumbs a little nervously. "But as soon as I get things sorted I'll move to a better flat, I promise!"

"Hey if you do, let me know." Chance grinned. "I think I could get used to living away from the family."

His Mom bopped him. "Don't be rude! And what did I say? You need to get yourself a job first, don't you?"

"Yes, Mom…" The golden tom groaned.

About ten minutes of semi-awkward silence passed, before Mom spoke up again. "So Jake, dear, when did you start living by yourself?"

Chance could see Jake tense a little behind him. "W-well, I think about a year and a half ago. Ma'am."

"Please, call me Julia." Mom continued. "What do your parents think about that?"

A pause ensued.

Chance started. "Uh, Mom-"

"They're fine with it." Jake replied, his tone noticeably neutral. "I think they wanted the extra space in their home anyway."

Chance's Mom laughed at that. Chance just stared at the road ahead.

 _But seriously, what happened with his Mom? Are things really that bad between them?_

Radio music kept the car lively for the two-hour drive, while Chance used the opportunity to catch up with his Mom. Dad was away on another business trip, and Mom talked about her book club, and whatever new cuisine she was attempting to make this month. It wasn't an exciting drive, but it felt strangely nostalgic.

After what felt like forever, the car pulled into an all too familiar driveway. Behind the automatic security gate stood, to be put bluntly, a humble mansion.

 _Here we are, home sweet home…_

"Wow..." Jake remarked. "It's ginormous!"

Chance shrugged, trying to be modest. "I guess..."

It was difficult to hide how affluent the main living room looked. Jake looked around, practically wide-eyed and endlessly complimenting the decor.

 _Guess he's never been to a big house before, huh?_

"Alright hon, this is the Furlong household." Chance's Mom announced. "As you'll be staying here now, I'll have Chance give you the tour. Be nice, okay dear?"

 _It's like she still thinks I'm five, or something!_

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, Mom." Chance sighed. "Where's his room gonna be?"

"The guest room next to yours." Mom replied. "I hope it suits you well, Jake."

Jake bowed a little. "I'm sure it will. Thank you Mrs-I mean, Julia."

Chance beckoned the way, leading up a bunch of stairs. "C'mon, it's this way."

The guest room wasn't a lot of things, but Jake was more than impressed. "Okay, I definitely don't regret moving in now…Look at all this space and-there's a desk!"

"Heh, wait until you see-"

When Chance entered his room he practically gasped. Everything had been cleared and painfully organised in an unfamiliar manner.

"Hey, didn't think you kept your room so clean!" Jake remarked, walking out of the spare room next to his. "I figured you'd leave it in a mess."

"I do! Mom moved everything!" Chance paced around in frustration. "Why does she _always_ clean my room?"

Jake laughed a little and leaned on the doorframe. "I think it looks great."

"That's not the point!" Chance sat on his bed. "I could clean my room if I felt like it. But she...she does _assumes_ it needs cleaning and does it without my saying!"

"Probably because it looked like a mess, right?"

"Like I said that's not the point, shuddup!" Chance shook his head. "I know she doesn't mean anything bad, but she treats me like I'm some freaking kid. Even now!"

After a minute of pause, Jake quietly muttered. "I can think of worse things a parent can do."

 _What is he-oh…_

Chance had the decency to look ashamed. "Guess I don't have the right to complain, huh? Sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, or whiny."

Jake expression quickly flicked back to a smirk. "You should be telling your Mom that, not me!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Chance relaxed. "Now you're starting to sound like my Dad."

"Really?" Jake asked. "What does he do?"

"Something business related, I dunno…He's always going on trips." Chance answered. "If you haven't guessed already, our family's kinda loaded."

Jake looked out of the room to the rest of the house. "You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"It's not, but..." Chance tried to find the right words. "Let's just say I never really got along with other kids at school."

Jake looked incredulous. "You weren't popular in high school?"

 _That's surprising to you?_

"Heh, I know. Shocking." Chance played it off with a grin. "Still, I'd rather not be seen as some spoilt brat. That's kinda why I didn't want you to find out..."

 _Wow Chance, tell him all your insecurities why don't you?_

"Uh huh…." Jake tilted his head, giving Chance a once over. "You're letting me stay in a mansion, and you think I'll be mad about your family being rich?"

"No, but it's more like…" Chance shrugged. "I dunno, I don't want you to think I'm great just because of my house..."

Jake folded his arms. "Last time I checked, I didn't make friends with your house in boot camp."

Chance huffed. "Okay whatever. If you don't care, I don't care! No need to make a big deal out of it.."

"But you were the one who-"

"Shuddup!"

Mom's voice interrupted the banter, echoing around the large house. "Chance, honey, Jake, dear! I've made dinner! Come on down!"

"Alright, just a second!" Chance called back, before looking to Jake. "You hungry?"

Jake felt his stomach. "Oh yeah, I'm famished."

Chance nodded. "Good, 'cause you'll need all the space in your stomach possible. Mom's...pretty hardcore with food."

"You won't hear any complaints from me." Jake grinned.

After the delicious (but slightly prolonged) miniature buffet, Chance took Jake back to his room to show him his gaming console. To Chance's frustration, Jake had an uncanny talent for fighting games, despite never touching a controller before.

 _Or at least that's what he claims..._

"Argh!" Chance practically yelled as he was brutalised in virtual melee. "Okay, you've totally done this before! You're lying to me!"

"Nuh-uh." Jake retorted. "You're moves are way too easy to read! All you do is mash the buttons…"

"If it works, it works! Gimme one more round and I'll prove it!"

After a few more hopeless rounds, Chance turned off the console and (very calmly) suggested they read some comic books. Fortunately, Mom hadn't thrown away the pile he stashed in the closet, so they had plenty of choices.

Plenty choices for action comics, that is.

"You're...really into superheroes…" Jake commented in slight amazement.

Chance grinned. "Ya like? Spent half my time reading these...what about you? Do you read anything?"

Jake looked at him strangely. "What, like comic books?"

"Duh, what else?" Something shocking dawned on Chance. "You're….you've seriously never read any comic books!?"

"Not really…" Jake shrugged. "I don't think I've ever been to a comic book store-"

"Okay, that's it!" Chance reached into the mountain of comics, and after a second of thought strategically picked out a decent pile to place on the floor. "Sit down, on the floor, and read some of _these_!"

Jake slowly sat down, eying the pile. "There's like...at least _twenty_ of these!"

"Twenty-five." Chance corrected. "They're the bare essentials for any newbie hoping to get into comics!"

"But what if I don't want to-"

"Just _read_ them!" Chance beseeched. "I spent last night watching your David Letterman-"

"- _Litterbin_."

"Whatever! So it's only fair you appreciate my hobbies, don't ya think?"

Jake sighed, conceding. "You have a point...Guess I better get started."

"That's the spirit!" Chance picked a few of his own favourites and got comfortable on his bed.

They read in silence together, which was a strange feeling for Chance. Comic books had always felt like a private pastime, not to be disrupted.

"Hey, listen…" Jake spoke quietly, after finishing his third comic. "What we talked about last night, it's not because I don't trust you, okay?"

 _Wha-that totally came out of nowhere!_

Chance lifted his head with a questioning look. "Yeah of course, dude. You don't have to tell me if you're not ready, I get that."

Jake shook his head. "But...I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you. It's...something that I gotta fix on my own."

 _Fix? What's he gotta fix? His relationship with his Mom?_

Chance looked at Jake, regarding his lonely expression. "You don't have to burden yourself like that. You're not the only kat that goes through this sorta thing, you know."

Jake took on an immensely surprised expression. "You know other kats like that?"

Chance paused. "Well, uh. No, but it was always something they taught us in school, you know? They have hotlines for depression, anxiety, domestic counseling, stuff like that. I think..."

"I guess.." Jake looked away. "But I don't even know if I can do that…It's not I was abused or anything..."

 _Are you sure?_

"Even then you could always-"

"I can't." Jake reduced himself to a whisper. "Trust me, it's not gonna make anything better. Anything I try, it just doesn't work."

 _...How am I supposed to respond to that? What the hell happened to you, buddy?_

Chance didn't like this at all. He'd never had anything close to such a sensitive conversation with anyone before he met Jake. Not even with his family, who made special efforts to shelter him throughout his kittenhood. Thinking back, none of his classmates ever confided in him about anything, during any of his school years. In fact, it didn't even feel like they wanted to talk with him at all.

But with Jake, this was all a new experience.

"You know what I think?" Chance put on the most confident face he could muster. "I think that, no matter what you do, things are gonna get better. You wanna know why?"

Jake didn't look at him. "...Why?"

Chance got off his bed, sat next to Jake and clapped him hard on the back. "Because you're Jake freaking Clawson! You went from 'barely-able-to-do-ten-pushups' to being strong enough to be allowed to train as an Elite Enforcer! You could've given up, but you didn't."

"But-"

"Shuddup, I ain't finished!" Chance went on, grinning like a madman. "You're also, obviously, stupidly smart. Like, you've got a razor sharp wit, you know that? I don't think I'll ever get that Litterbin stuff, but you're a better comedian than that guy, for sure."

The auburn now rolled his eyes. "Okay, now you're just being ridiculous.."

Chance ignored that. "And to top it all off...You're kinda my best friend, you know?"

Jake's eyes widened even further. "I...I am?"

"Well, _duh_." Chance answered. "I don't think I've talked to anyone more than I have with you. Except Mom and Dad, but, you know…"

"Uh huh…" Jake began to smile slowly, as his gaze made his way towards Chance. "You too. Ah, I mean-you're my best friend too, you know?"

"Yeah, of course I know that, you dingus!" Chance playfully hit him again, before leaning a little closer to Jake. "So you feel better?"

Jake smiled genuinely this time. "Yeah, definitely.

Relieved, Chance huffed and turned his head away. "Good, 'cause I don't wanna have to have to stroke your ego over and over, got it?"

"Uh oh, you're sounding like Feral again."

"Ha ha, your charming sense of humour returns." Chance threw himself onto his bed. "Don't you have a room to be returning to?"

"Sure thing, your highness." Jake swiftly dodged the pillow being thrown at him.

 _Are best friends supposed to annoy the crap outta you, even if you enjoy every second of it? Heh, guess so…_

Chance rolled his shoulders and breathed slowly, as he often did when his heart raced a thousand miles a second. He changed into his first set of pjamas in three months, and lied down in his bed, finally at home.

 _He's my best friend, I'm his best friend. We're really best friends! But why? I mean, obviously because we like each other. Crap-that's bad phrasing…_

Jake brushed his teeth and got himself prepared for bed. But he couldn't stop thinking.

 _Without him, I wouldn't have made it this far. I wouldn't be living here, I wouldn't be training to become a freaking enforcer! Not only that, but he talks to me!_

Jake lied down, on the surprisingly soft mattress, trying to stop his head from spinning.

 _I mean, who would've thought I'd be buds with someone like HIM?! That's crazy, he's not even anything like me…_

 _...not even in my league._

Jake hit himself hard.

 _No no no no no! Don't even go there. I mean, it's true. But NO! What would he think? It'll ruin everything, just like before...I have to forget about it. But I'm gonna be living with him, and we're best friends now, and…._

An hour, maybe two passed as Jake tossed and turned in his new bed. He wanted his mind to just _sleep_ , but he couldn't escape the conclusion that he equally adored and dreaded. Jake Clawson had a thing for his only best friend.

 _Well, shit...I'm screwed._


End file.
